Boreal Forest

Here’s a report from a brief work stint in northeastern British Columbia at the edge of Canada’s great boreal forest.

This is still a relatively intact ecosystem that is surprisingly diverse. The breeding bird diversity alone rivals most other places in Canada (probably comes in at number two behind somewhere in southern Ontario). Today someone saw a wolverine, and grizzlies are sighted daily. The forest understory is lush and verdant and has some of the thickest devil’s club I’ve seen anywhere. Blueberries are dripping off their stalks. The aspen groves are gigantic and full of Connecticut Warblers and Ovenbirds. Growth and activity however are winding down with mid-summer in full swing and autumn just around the corner.